The United States has been treading a fine line when it comes to china. On one hand, there is a need to play nice due to the recent rise in tension between North Korea and the rest of the world. If the unthinkable happens and a war breaks out, it is crucial that China can be considered an ally.
On the flip side, China and the United States have been butting heads over their respective trade practices for quite a long time, but it seems President Trump is attempting to stick to his campaign declarations, as he wants harsher tariffs to be set for China and their imports.
"I want tariffs," demanded Trump of his advisers and the new chief of staff, Gen. John Kelly.
Tensions high in the Oval Office
Reports received from knowledgeable sources to the publication Axios and not disputed by the White House, suggest that tempers might have been lost during the meeting to discuss Chinese trade practices. More specifically, talks were held on how to investigate further the rumors of whether the Eastern nation stole intellectual property and technology from the U.S.A.
President Trump has been asking for more tariffs to be placed on China for the last six months, while advisers have been focusing primarily on IP theft. Although it is possible to use tariffs against IP theft, most do not see this as an aggressive enough stance and the current President of the free-world seems to agree.
If one thing was made clear to the new chief of staff during this meeting was that President Trump wants more tariffs.
"China is laughing at us," Trump added.
A divided White House
If there has been one easy to notice issue since the start of Trump's reign is how the White House has come to resemble a battlefield. Nobody ever is on the same page, and most of their time is spent fighting it out among themselves.
Politics tend to be this way in every nation, as it allows for conflicting views to be fleshed out in order to land at a compromise.
Unfortunately, when parties are rebelling for the simple reason that they just do not want to work together, then the whole country suffers. Gen. John Kelly's first, and arguably hardest job is to get everyone at the White House back on the same page.
President Trump labeled the ones pitching the IPs as 'globalist', further instilling us vs them mentality. Pointing your finger and name calling is not compromising, it is not working it out or reaching a conclusion. It is trying to bully your opposition into a surrender. This showcases the sense of mistrust that currently dominates the White House.
